Roles

Meet the Editor

Main tasks

• form editorial board (associate editors, non-divisional assistant editors)

• assign manuscripts to associate and assistant editors

• make final decision on manuscripts

•  invite submissions (commissioned manuscripts)

•  develop strategies and policies to maintain and improve journal’s quality and impact

• promote the journal to potential authors

• call editorial board meetings (frequency may depend on work load)

Role

The Editor has the overall editorial responsibility for ICB in maintaining and improving the journal’s scientific quality.  The editor implements editorial policies as identified in ICB’s mission statement; serves as an ambassador and spokesperson for the journal; promotes it at relevant meetings and workshops; works within an annually approved page budget; works closely with the ICB Editorial Board, the SICB Executive Committee, and the Publisher (Oxford University Press); and coordinates and seeks synergies with SICB’s open-access journal, Integrative Organismal Biology (IOB).

The Editor appoints the associate editors (subject to approval by the Executive Officers). The Editor attends the annual planning SICB meeting (at location of the upcoming annual meeting, typically in October), the annual SICB meeting, and is highly recommended to attend OUP editor meetings (currently in the form of several webinars per year).  The Editor will coordinate with the Managing Editor to hold regular (virtual) meetings with the Associate and Assistant Editors.

Main tasks

• invite peer reviewers

• support editor in organizing editorial board meetings

• facilitate manuscript handling process

• provide task lists for all editorial board members (sent twice a week)

• coordinate outreach

• liaise with publisher (OUP)

Role

The Managing Editor is the main coordinator of the wide range of managerial tasks.  These tasks include: obtaining information about future symposia from the SICB program officers; facilitating the process of assigning manuscripts to editors; liaising with OUP about the production process (through weekly virtual meetings); checking in with editors to ensure timely progress of the peer review process (twice a week); facilitating regular (virtual) meetings of the editorial board; collating information and preparing drafts of annual reports about ICB to the SICB Executive Board; support ICB’s promotion and outreach (organize booths at conferences; create promotional material; support and coordination with ICB’s social media team).

Meet the Associate Editors

Main tasks

• oversee assistant editors

• make final decision on manuscripts

• provide timely and constructive decision letters to authors that clearly communicate go/no-go versus merely recommended revision steps to ensure timely, one-round revisions

• support journal by identifying potential topics and contributors for future symposia and paper bundles

• attend monthly associate editor meeting (frequency may depend on work load)

Role

The Associate Editors work closely with the assistant editors to oversee the peer review process and to make decisions based on the peer reviews and the recommendations of the assistant editors.  The Associate Editors support the editor to ensure the future of the journal, for example, by identifying suitable focal areas for future symposia and paper bundles, and by supporting ICB’s efforts to remain a high-quality scientific journal that is relevant to and supports the SICB membership and the SICB mission.  Associate Editors will attend monthly (virtual) editorial board meetings. 

Workload

Associate Editors typically handle two symposia or special issues, which corresponds to 15 to 20 manuscripts per year.  Additionally, they may handle one or two invited manuscripts.

Timeline for manuscripts arising from SICB annual meetings

Fall: indicate your symposium preferences and receive your portfolio of assigned manuscripts

January: attend SICB annual meeting if possible to attend our in-person editorial board meeting and to attend presentations of the manuscripts assigned to you

January to March: receive your assigned manuscripts and supervise the Assistant editors handling manuscripts in your portfolio; attend regular virtual editorial board meetings to help handle arising issue

March to August: help authors navigate the revision process (craft letters to authors that help them improve their manuscript in response to the peer reviews and reduce the need of multiple rounds of revision), and make decisions about manuscripts; attend regular virtual editorial board meetings to help handle arising issue

Meet the Assistant editors

Main tasks

• identify peer reviewers (typically 6 to 9 per manuscript)

• evaluate peer reviews (typically 2 to 3 per manuscript)

• prioritize peer reviews and action points for authors to ensure timely, one-round revisions

• communicate with authors to ensure timely revisions

• communicate with peer reviewers to ensure timely and constructive peer reviews

• recommend manuscript decisions to associate editors

• attend editorial board meeting (typically 2 to 3 per year)

Role

The role of the Assistant Editor is to assist the Associate Editors, Editors and the ICB Editorial team to ensure that the standards of ICB are maintained, and to help guide policy and development of the journal.  The main task of the Assistant Editors is to handle the peer review process for manuscripts.  Assistant Editors are responsible for the quality, consistency, and impact of ICB by selecting qualified and independent peer reviewers, and by managing the peer-review process.  Assistant Editors make recommendations about manuscripts based on peer reviews to the Associate Editor.

Workload

Assistant editors typically handle five to ten manuscripts per year.  Most of those are symposia manuscripts, but some might be other invited papers, such as manuscripts from SICB award winners, special issues, and manuscripts commissioned by ICB.

Timeline for manuscripts arising from SICB annual meetings

Fall: indicate your manuscript preferences and receive your portfolio of assigned manuscripts

January: attend SICB annual meeting if possible to attend our in-person editorial board meeting and to attend the presentations of the manuscripts assigned to you

January to March: receive your assigned manuscripts and identify peer reviewers; attend regular virtual editorial board meetings to help handle arising issue

March to August: help authors navigate the revision process (synthesize peer reviews), and make recommendations to the associate editors; attend regular virtual editorial board meetings to help handle arising issue

Meet the editorial reviewers

Main tasks

• perform peer reviews (typically 3 to 4 manuscripts)

• attend editorial reviewer workshops and meetings (typically 2 to 3 per year)

Role

The role of the Editorial Reviewer is to assist the Associate Editors, Editors and the ICB Editorial team to ensure that the standards of ICB are maintained, and to help guide policy and development of the journal.  The main task of the Editorial Reviewer is to provide peer reviews for manuscripts.  Editorial Reviewers are responsible for providing constructive peer reviews to ICB authors to maintain the publication standards of ICB while providing a positive and inclusive peer review experience to ICB authors.  Editorial reviewers make recommendations about manuscripts that support the decision making process of the Assistant and Associate Editors. Note that each ICB manuscript is reviewed by typically two to four reviewers, one of which may be an Editorial Reviewer.

Workload

Editorial Reviewers typically handle two to four manuscripts per year.  Most of those are symposia manuscripts, but some might be other invited papers, such as manuscripts from SICB award winners, special issues, and manuscripts commissioned by ICB.

Timeline for manuscripts arising from SICB annual meetings

Early fall: receive training by participating in two virtual ICB workshops (90 minutes each) 

Fall: indicate your manuscript preferences and receive your portfolio of assigned manuscripts

January: attend SICB annual meeting if possible to attend our in-person editorial board meeting and to attend the presentations of the manuscripts assigned to you

January to July: receive your assigned manuscripts and provide peer reviews; some manuscripts may require a second peer review of their revised manuscript